Day 8

I am 21 today!! And I had the most amazing, unimaginable birthday ever! First, we went to the Jordan River and walked around Jesus' baptismal site and through ancient church ruins. This experience was awesome in multiple ways. First, it was really cool to stand there by myself and be able to talk to God in a place where he had once stood. I dipped my hands into the Jordan and began to tear up knowing how amazing this place was. Second, it was saddening being there with my Jordanian friends. They all are from Palestinian descent and are not allowed to travel over across into their homeland, because it now belongs to Israel. At the same time, we saw a few people walking in the river on the other side. These people also could not leave into Jordan to visit their families because of the laws. This was really hard to look at the people singing and praying in the river while the Jordanian and Israeli soldiers stood over them with guns.

After walking back to the bus in the pouring rain, we all got into the bus soaking wet and cold. We then began the drive to the Dead Sea! We arrived at the Dead Sea Spa and were surprised with an amazing buffet lunch! During lunch, just as we finished, the sky cleared up and the rain stopped. However, after we changed and walked down onto the beach, it was still freezing cold! But, thankfully, unknown to us, this sea is about 15 degrees warmer than the air! All 24 of us and our professor jumped in and floated around for at least a half an hour! This was so amazing-nothing in the world to compare it too. I hope someday to go back.

Tonight, my friends brought me out to dinner at a restaurant called Bel Monde Cafe. The food was delicious and the company was great. We spent nearly 3 hours eating, talking and taking pictures. I was then sung Happy Birthday while I received my own personal cake by the table 4 time! Twice in English, twice in Arabic while everyone danced and clapped. It was quite the celebration!

Tomorrow, I will be leaving for the Holy Land. We may call it Israel in the US, because our government supports this new country. However, here, we call it Palestine or the Holy Land because most Jordanians' families were expelled from their land after WWII and are never allowed to return. In Israel, however, we will call it Israel. I will be leaving at 5:30am my time tomorrow. Please pray for our journey across the border that it goes smoothly and quickly without any issues. This is not a dangerous thing, but it is intense and will be a bit nerve-racking for everyone. When we arrive tomorrow afternoon, we will meet our host families. I believe we will be staying in pairs so I will be rooming with my new friend, MacKenzie. During our stay there (6 days, coming home Thursday afternoon), we will visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem Bible College, and the West Bank. During this time, I will try to email everyone and update my blog, but it is not for certain I will have internet connection.

Thank you all for your birthday wishes and prayers!!

Introduction

Hello All!

This coming January (in only 3 weeks!), I will be making the long plane trip overseas into a far away country called Jordan. I am traveling with 23 other students from Bethel University on an interim trip, formally named "Leaders for Change in Jordan and Israel". I have therefore made this blog so that you (being my friends and family) can follow me through the Middle East, hear updates on current events as I experience them in-country, and see beautiful sights through my pictures.

My departure date is January 4th, which is quickly approaching! We will land on January 5th at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman Jordan, and then my journey begins! For a taste of what I will be seeing and experiencing while in Jordan, I will list just a few adventures that I am most looking forward to!
-On January 10, we will be meeting with the Advisor to King Abdullah
-On January 11 we will meet and speak with H. R. H. Princess Sumaya bint El-Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society
-On January 13 (which is my 21 birthday!!) we will be touring Jesus' baptismal site, Mt. Nebo, and St. Georg in Madaba

As you will see on the right hand side of the page, I have posted some links about the countries that I will be staying in. I also have a little poll that I will be updating every few days (more interesting questions to come!) and I will eventually be putting up a slideshow.

I will be posting more information as the time for me to leave gets closer and I will hopefully posting every couple days once I am in-country. Please let me know if you have any questions (or advice!) and please pray for me as I continue to prepare (and pack...) for this wonderful, new experience!

Xox
Courtney